WASHINGTON, DC - Fresh from his first trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan as Administrator, Dr. Rajiv Shah noted that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is partnering with civil society and government officials in the region to build a better future for its people.

BISHKEK, Kyrgyz Republic - The U.S. Agency for International Development is donating $100,000 worth of medical supplies to help hospitals that are treating victims of the April 7-8 civil unrest in the Kyrgyz Republic.

The medical supplies will be presented in an April 16 ceremony to the Bishkek City Trauma and Orthopedics Scientific and Research Center. The donation was procured by USAID's grantee CitiHope International.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A new private sector initiative designed by the U.S. Agency for International Development to create employment opportunities for young Iraqis was initiated March 25 by the USAID-Tijara Provincial Economic Growth Program. The project hopes to expose young Iraqis living in underserved or impoverished areas to essential business skills and entrepreneurial opportunities.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Major League Baseball Dominican Development Alliance (MLB-DDA) teamed up with the Chicago Cubs on April 9 to donate $50,000 to the Institute of Latin American Concern (ILAC) to fund diabetes and hypertension educational programs in Northern Dominican Republic.

This year the focus of World Health Day is on the world's growing urban population. The theme, "1000 cities, 1000 lives" provides an opportunity to highlight the work that is being done to improve health in urban settings. The unprecedented rate of urban growth has far outstripped the ability of these cities to provide infrastructure for new residents. This lack of infrastructure will lead to an estimated 2 billion people living in slums over the next 20 years.

During the first 63 hours of Global Pulse 2010 there were 14,000 total logins and 9,000 posts from participants in over 150 countries. Robust discussions are forming around a wide variety of topics from democratizing democracy, to human trafficking, to renewable energy development.

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today that Norma Parker will serve as the Agency's new Mission Director for Nicaragua. Ms. Parker, who was also sworn in yesterday at USAID's headquarters at the Ronald Reagan Building, will oversee a wide variety of programs to promote economic growth and improve health and education for the people of Nicaragua.

WASHINGTON, DC, MARCH 26, 2010 - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) today announced a new private-public partnership to support financing to entrepreneurs throughout the developing world. Rajiv Shah, Administrator of USAID, and Anders Nordström, Director General of Sida, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize the collaboration.

lobal Pulse 2010, the three-day online event aimed at bringing people together online to brainstorm and discuss innovative ideas to solve critical global challenges, launches March 29. The event is open to all participants.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Thorough research on the plight of the urban poor in Lusaka, Zambia, combined with practical policy recommendations have earned Danielle Resnick, a PhD. candidate in political science at Cornell University, a trip to the World Urban Forum.

Ms. Resnick won the grand prize in a competition for original research on topics related to the theme of the 2010 World Urban Forum, "The Right to the City: Bridging the Urban Divide." She will travel March 22-26 to Brazil as a guest of the International Housing Coalition (IHC).

WASHINGTON, March 24 - In a video message, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah commemorated World Tuberculosis Day on March 24. Dr Shah spoke about the global TB burden and highlighted important steps the United States is taking to stop TB around the world through a new strategy. Dr Shah said:

Washington, DC- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) will launch a new collaboration for the issuance of joint credit guarantees in developing countries. Loans guaranteed under the agreement will include investments for climate change, post-disaster reconstruction, food security, and health, including planned guarantees in Bosnia and Haiti.

DHAKA, Bangladesh - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is sponsoring a regional conference in Dhaka on "the role of religious and community leaders in advancing development in Asia," now through March 24, and 70 religious and community leaders from fourteen countries across Asia are expected to participate.

Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and The Coca-Cola Company announce an additional joint investment of US$12.7 million in their global partnership, the Water and Development Alliance (WADA). Through this investment, WADA will support eight new multi-year programs throughout sub-Saharan Africa in Angola, Burundi, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania.

WASHINGTON, March 22 -- World Water Day reminds us that a sustainable and safe supply of water is necessary to the development and security of every nation. Nearly one billion people in the developing world lack access to an improved water supply. Without significant improvements in water and sanitation access and hygiene practices, global goals related to child mortality, primary education, disease reduction, environmental sustainability and poverty reduction will not be achieved.

WASHINGTON D.C. - Global Pulse 2010, a three-day virtual event aimed at bringing together thousands of people from around the globe to discuss the world's most pressing challenges and envision solutions, will launch March 29, 2010. Created to enable listening, learning and sharing of ideas, this initiative marks the commitment of the U.S. to meeting the challenges of the 21st century by working towards universal goals in partnership with a wide variety of stakeholders.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This Friday, March 12 at 12 noon the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will launch “Helping Shelter Haiti,” an interactive exhibit that illustrates the agency’s immediate and long-term plans for sheltering those displaced by the January 12th earthquake. The exhibit will display a scaled version of the shelters currently being built in Haiti, and bring to life how the agency facilitates the reconstruction process when disaster-stricken countries request U.S.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA. - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the International Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Studies, the Gorbachev Foundation, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on March 11, 2010 for joint activities in support of child welfare systems and enhanced social services for vulnerable children and families in Russia.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - TODAY, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah announced the launch of "Helping Shelter Haiti," an interactive, first-of-its kind exhibit that illustrates the agency's plans for sheltering those displaced by the January 12th earthquake. Haiti Task Team Coordinator Paul Weisenfeld also announced the formation of the Haiti Task Team to continue inter-agency coordination of the reconstruction efforts that are underway, and to replace the Response Management Team formed at the onset of the crisis.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah welcomed the 2010 International Women of Courage Award winners from Afghanistan, Dominican Republic, Korea and Sri Lanka to USAID. Administrator Shah thanked the honorees for their outstanding contributions to the rights of women and the advancement of their countries.